Baseball game apparatus



Patentecl May 13, 1952 BASEBALL GAME APPAR-ATUS Abe Rose, Chicago, Ill., assignor of one-half to Sidney J. Eisenberg, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 19, 1949, Serial Ne. 128324 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a game in which a ball is propelled outwardly onto a game board having a number of depressed channels and holes adapted to receive the projected ball and bring it to rest, and more particularly to a baseball type game of the character described in which the actual batting procedure and movement of the base runners simulates as far as possible actual play which occurs in baseball.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple device for propelling a ball outwardly onto a game board in any one of a plurality of directions depending upon the way the ball s played by the player and without moving or adjusting any portion of the apparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide a ball game apparatus which converts the movement of a dropped ball to a movement along the surface of the game board in a direction depending upon the point of contact of the ball with the apparatus.

A further object of this invention is to provide a baseball game in which the score achieved by a player is determined more by skill on the part of the player rather than by mere chance.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a ball game board and ball propelling apparatus that is easily and inexpensvely produced.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be ponted out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of the baseball game showing a typical arrangement of the elements used in the play of the game.

Figure 2 is a partially broken away isometric view showing a player's fingers holding the ball in playing position above the home plate.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side View of the home plate taken on the view 4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows an alternative shape for the home plate and is taken on the same view as Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows an alternative shape for the home plate and is taken on the same view as Figure 3. g

Figura 6 shows a side View of the magnet that is used to collect the balls.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a playing board generally indicated by the numeral o. The playing board o has a raised border ll and a flat section !2. Additional raised members l3 and !4 cut across two of the corners of the playing board o thus setting off these two corners from the field portion [5 of the playing board. Raised members !3 and IA are substantially at right angles to each other and serve as boundaries to the baseball field !5, raised member l3 lying along the lst base side of the field and raised member [4 lying adjacent the 3rd base portion of the field.

The playing field !5 consists of three sections, an infield diamond IE, an outfield section l'l, and boundary channel sections [8 surrounding the infield and outfield portions. All three sections of the playing field lie in different planes. The channel sections !8 lie in the same plane and are a part of flat section !2. The outfield section l'l lies in a plane above the plane of channels l8 and the infield diamond IS lies in a plane above the plane of the outfield ll. This stepwise arrangement of' sections can be most clearly seen in Figure 2.

Mounted on the home plate region of the infield diamond !6 is a propelling member or home plate 19. As more clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4 this home plate l9 has an upwardly inclined surface 20 which faces outwardly toward the outfield section IT. The home plate [IS has two vertical sides 21 one of which lies along the first base side of the baseball diamond, the other side lying along the third base side of the baseball diamond. The intersection of these two vertical sides ZI is the vertex 22 of the home plate !9. The home plate IS is a body of revolution whose axis of revolution is the vertex 22. The cross sectional views of the home plate IS, taken upon any Vertical plane passing through the vertex 22 formed by the intersection of the vertical side 2 l, are identical. In fact, any such cross section of the home plate would be the same as the side view as shown in Figure 3. Another way of saying this is that the home plate is a body of revolution that is formed by revolving a surface such as that shown in Figure 3 about a vertical axis, coincident with the vertex 22, through an arc of The outfield portion ll is provided with a plurality of holes which are designated With diiierent baseball terms as illustrated in Figure 1. Thus, when a ball stops in a certain hole or enters a channel at a given region, the result of that given play is designated by the baseball term associated with the hole or the channel.. The base of these holes is the fiat section I2 of the playing board o.

The raised members l3 and [4 at the :region adjacent the home plate intersect parallel raised face 20 of the home plate !9.

members 23 and 24 which in turn are perpendicular to the raised border ll. This arrangement provides 'a ball Well 25 which is in communication with the channels !3. The channels l8 are more clearly defined in the region adjacent infield diamond 16 in that they are bounded between the diamond IE and the raised members 13 and !4.

In playing the game a ball 26,preferablyof steel, is held by theplayer between his thumb and forefinger as shown in Figure 2 above the inclined When the ball 26 is dropped it strikes the inclinecl surface 20 and is propelled outwardly over the infield diamond to the outfield section ll. The playing board is inclined so that the ball after leavingthehome plate is continually traveling up a slope. inclining of the board can be accomplished by mounting legs under the playing board along the board's outfield edge (the top edge in Figure 2)'. These legs are not shown in the drawings but it should be obvious that the board can be propped upon almost any object to give it "the necessary slope. Thepurpose of having 'the playinglboard inclined isso that ir" the ball `'M'i does not fall into any of the holes in theoutfielclsection ll, they. will' be returned to the ball well 25 'where they can be replayed. Thus, asva ball '26 is projected into the outfield it` either will enter one of the holes therein or will roll into the channel section &8 where it will be returned to the1wel125.

This` game is a game of skill, and it'will be noted that 'if the ball 25 does not go out far enough it will roll into a channel section which has the designation-Strike If the ball is -prol jected outwardly too fatit willgo into the chanis propelled is a function of :the skill -of the player in 'dropplng his ballit ata suitable point-upon the face 28 of .the home plate. A plurality of guide lines drawn upon the infield ,diamond lt and extencling radially from the vertex 22 .of 'the home plate !9 indicate ,to the player approximately where the ball should'he dropped on the face '29 of the home plate so as* to direct the ball 26 to the portion of :the outfielddesired. 'Furthermore, skill is involved inholding the ball at the correct height in order to obtainthe correct amount of propulsionpoutwardly onto the outfield No moving .parts ,are necessary to enable the player to direct his ball to ..anyregion WhatsO- ever in the outeld.

When a ballstops in a certain hole or-.enters a channel at a given region, .the. results ,of that given play are .designated by the baseball' term associated With the hole or the channel( If a hit is made, the ball should be removedlfrom the hole in which it lies; Then a piece (not shown), designating the runner and having a red-like mounting finger of a sizeadapted to fit into the base hole, is put into the appropriately numbered base hole. The basic rules of this game are substantially the same as in an :ordinary baseball game and the runners advance in the samelmanner, such movement being simulated by actualh moving the runners from base to base.

.In order to record what has occurredon the playing field, aplurality of counting dials33 are provided which record the outs, balls, strikes and runs. These counting dials are located in the corners bounded by raised border ll, and raised members !3 and M, and 23 and 24. These dials can be easily made of a pointed member Secured to the board by means of a thumb tack or the like. Also provided in one of the corners is a scoreboard which consists of a raised frame work 28 which is mounted on the flat section 12 of the playing board m. A number of tabs 2 9 are provided having printed thereon the names of teams and numbers which tabs may 'be insertedin the scoreboard to designate the teams playing and to designate the scores that are made in each inning.

The bases to which the runner-s move may be positioned upon the playing field !5 but in the preferred embodiment are positioned as shown. The first and third bases are located in triangular members 30 which are mounted on fiat section!? and are positioned in thecornerbetween raised border H and raised .members !3 and l l. Second base is located opposite the home plate in the furthermost portion of the outeld `ll and is set off from the remainder of the outfield il by a raised collar 3! which prevents any of the balls from entering the hole which is designated as second base. Since the steel balls lare quite small they are relatively difficult to' pick out of the holes, and therefore a small permanent magnet 32 (as shown'n Figure `6) is pro.- vicied which is used to pick up the balls on the playing field.

The 'shape of the upwardly inclined surface Eat of the home plate may be varied. Although the preferred embodiment of the home plate shown in Figura 2 has a convexly curved surface, the home plate may also have a concavely curved surface like that shown in Figure 4. The surface 28 may also be fiat, as shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. i

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, .it will be obvious to those skilled in the-art that various changes and modications may be made therein without departing from the invention and-therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes, and modifications as ;fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

i; A baseball game comprising an inclined playing board, a propelling member for changing the Vertical movement of a ball to a, movement upwardly along the inclined surface of said playing board, 'said playing board having a plurality of Channels, two of saidpchann'els bounding a simulated baseball field comprising 5 a home plate, an infieldsurface and an outfield surface, ,said playing board also having .therein a plurality of holes, three of said holes serving as the bases of the simulated baseball field, the remainder of said holes being located in the outfield surface of the baseball fieldand adapted to receive the projected ball, said' Channels being adapted to receive the projectedballs and return them to a region adjacent the home plate, said holes and Channels having various designated game values, and said propelling member serving as the home plate of the simulated baseball field, said infield surface lyinginmone plane, the outfield surface `spacedbelow'said .ineld surface, and the surfaceof the Channels lying below said outfield surface, whereby the --,pro-' pelled ball is restrained from returning over a surface over which it has passed.

2. A baseball game comprising an inclined playing board, a propelling member for Cheng ing the vertical movement of a ball to a movement upwardly along the inclined surface ofsaid playing board, said playing board including a polygonal channel bounding a simulated base-- ball field comprising a home plate, an infield surface, and an outfield surface, a portion of the channel adjacent the home plate being enlarged to form a collection region, said propelling member seri/ing as the home plate of the simulated baseball field and having an upwardly inclined surface of revolution facing in the direction the ball is to be propelled over the playing board surface, the encls of said inclined surface terninating at the sections of the channel which bound the infield section, said infield surface lying in one plane, the outfield surface being spaced below said infield surface, and the surface of said channel lying below the outfield surface, whereby the propelled ball is restrained from returning over a surface over which it has passed and is directed to the bounding channel, Whence it is returned to said collection region adjacent the home plate.

3. A baseball game comprising an inclined playing board, a propelling member for changing the vertical movement of a ball to a move ment upwardly along the inclined surface of said playing board, said playing board including a polygonal channel bounding a simulated baseball field comprising a home plate, an infield surface, and an outfield surface, a portion of the channel adjacent the home p1ate being enlarged to form a collection region, said propelling member serving as the home plate of the simulated baseball field and having an upwardly inclined surface of revolution facing in the direction the ball is to be propelled over the playing board surface, the ends of said inclined surface terminating at the sections of the channel which bound the infield section, said infield surface lying in one plane, the outfield surface being spaced below said infield surface, the surface of said channel lying below the outfield surface, whereby the propelled ball is restrained from returning over a surface over which it has passed and is directed to the bounding channel, Whence it is returned to said collection region adjacent the home plate, a plurality of game Value designations along the length of the channel, and members, positioned at the edge between said outfield surface and said channel surface and spaced from the edges between said infield surface and said outfield surface, adapted to form regione associated with the various game value designations along the length of the channel.

4. A baseball game as set forth in claim 2 wherein said upwardly inclined surface of revolution of the home plate is convexly curved.

5. A baseball game as set forth in claim 2 .wherein said upwardly inclined surface of revolution of the home plate is concavely curved.

6. A baseball game as set forth in claim 2 wher-ein said upwardly inclined surface of revolution of the home plate is straight along its length.

ABE ROSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 549338 sample Nov. 19, 1895 957,'140 Burke May 10, 1910 1,235,119 Day July 31, 1917 1,634,296 Mattern et al July 5, 1927 2,494,248 Koppin Jan. 1-0, 1950 

